The Crane Chronicles Volume 3
by iloveromance
Summary: The third installment of random short stories of various genres featuring members of the Crane family and their friends. Based on sentence prompts found in various places.
1. Chapter 1

Niles tried once again to concentrate on the medical records that he held in his hand but it proved to be an impossible task. The thought entered his mind once more that he should have stuck to his original plan and stayed late at the office. At least there he could have gotten some peace and quiet. However, he loved his wife and son so much and wanted to spend every moment possible with them, even if the only sign of proximity to his son and wife was being under the same roof. For the past several days, Daphne had thrown herself into her new hobby; the beautiful garden she'd planted in their front yard. It seemed strange for her to be so taken by such a peculiar hobby, but it had been a long time since he'd seen her so happy. And so of course he was happy too. He smiled, thinking of her sweet face, her curvy body that he loved to hold, and her soft lips that he kissed every chance he could find.

 _Crash! Bang! Clang!_

Literally jolted out of his thoughts, Niles felt his entire body shake from the disruption. For the past hour, the sounds of banging, crashing and clanging could be heard from directly above his office. And suddenly he couldn't take it anymore.

In a fit of anger, he rose from his desk and threw down the papers, sending them floating around the room. He regretted his actions immediately, for he was going to have one heck of a mess to clean up when he returned. It would take him hours to sort through the mounds of paperwork, much less read through them and try yet again to comprehend. It was something he did daily, reading and reading files on patients to try, even in some small way, to help them though their pain and suffering. Only now he was the one who was suffering.

His head pounded, making him even angrier. He stormed up the stairs and down the hallway until he came to his adolescent son's bedroom. Even though the closed door, Niles could hear the banging, the clanging and the crashing.

 _Dear God…_

The racket was made even more disturbing due to the close proximity. He felt the blood rushing through his body and he pounded loudly on the door. "David, open up! I want to speak with you!" He shouted at the top of his lungs. But the noise did not stop.

Niles might have been able to tolerate it had it been a rhythmic and even soothing noise, but this was just… well, _noise_. He tried knocking again; harder, this time with the same result. A third attempt had him knocking even harder, bringing a throbbing pain to his hand. But he ignored it, determined to find out what was going on behind that door. He took a deep breath and pounded on the door, channeling his pain and anger into the wood grain. And amazingly it worked. The noise stopped abruptly. He started to walk away, in hopes that he could get back to his work, but instead he pressed his ear to the door and listened.

He heard soft noises coming from the room; a light clang, a small crash, a soft bang. What was going on in there? And then the door opened, revealing his son, who wore a surprised expression.

"Dad…"

At the sight of his handsome son, Niles almost forgave him without question or words. But he prevailed. He thought of how his son's racket had interrupted his work and how it was going to take hours to straighten it out. And even more hours to finish. And that's all it took for his anger to return.

"David I want to talk to you!"

David opened the door wider. "Sure, come in. What's up?"

"You tell me!"

David's eyebrows rose. "I… Have no idea."

"What is going on in here?"

"I'm just practicing."

"Practicing? Practicing _what_? To be in the Guinness Book of World Records for the loudest kid on the planet?"

David chuckled, but Niles wasn't laughing. "Dad…"

"Do you mind telling me what in the hell is going on in here? I can't hear myself think! Now I want an explanation and I want it now!"

David nodded. "Well, like I said, I was practicing. I know I'm not very good yet but Grandpa said…"

This got Niles' attention. "What does your grandfather have to do with this?"

"Oh, he's the one who bought me the drum set!" David said, waving his arm as though showing a prize on a stage behind a curtain on a game show.

"Drum set? Since when-."

"It was an early birthday present! Isn't it cool? Grandpa says if I practice hard enough I could be a big star some day!"

Niles was appalled. "In a _rock band_? Dear God, David you can't be serious!"

"Why not?"

"Well, a… a _rock band_? I-I just… I'm…"

"What, Dad?"

"I-I'm happy to see that you've taken an interest in music but I'd rather hoped it would be the piano or…"

"I like the drums."

"I can see that, but how can you possibly make a living on being a drummer?"

David shrugged. "I don't know and maybe I won't make a living off it. I just want to be good enough to one day make a lot of money!"

"David…"

"I know it's ridiculous and to be honest, I don't want to be the most famous musician on the planet. I'm not cut out for that."

Niles breathed a sigh of relief. "Well, I'm glad to hear that. But what got into you to possess you to take up the drums?"

"I figured they'd be easy to learn and I was right. I know I have a long way to go but I can't wait to play in my first concert. I want you and Mom to be in the front row."

Niles smiled. "Well, that's very nice of you David, but I don't-."

Suddenly David appeared frantic, confusing Niles even further. "You _have_ to be there, Dad! You _must_!"

"David-."

"No, you don't understand!"

"No, I'm afraid I don't, Son. I'm sorry."

"I need you and Mom to be in the front row so that I can thank you in front of hundreds of people."

"Thank us?"

"Well, yeah. You've been the best parents ever and I have a long time before I go off to college. I don't make a lot of money at my part time job and that's okay. But I thought that if I could learn to play the drums I could make even more money to repay you."

"Repay us? But David, you don't have to-."

"I know, but even if I don't make a lot of money, my dream is to play in a band on a stage in some sold out concert, my parents, grandpa and Ronee in the front row. I'd stand up with my microphone and tell everyone in the audience; and maybe the world if the band gets that popular… that I have the best father and mother a guy could ever ask for. And I love him so much."

Niles felt tears fill his eyes and began to make their way down his cheeks. It was all but mortifying, crying in front of his teenaged son, but he didn't care.

"David…"

"Oh geez, Dad, I didn't mean to upset you…"

"Come here, David."

Before David had a chance to react, Niles pulled him into his arms and kissed his cheek, hugging him tighter than he'd ever hugged his son before. "I love you so much. You and your mother are the best things that ever happened to me. And I'm so proud of you and who you've become."

David hugged him tighter. "I love you too, Dad. And I'm sorry I bothered you with my terrible playing. You can go back to your work. I'll just do something else."

Niles was relieved, eager to get back to his work. But then he had a change of heart. "Actually I'll tell you what. I need to finish up something in my office. Give me thirty minutes and I'll be right up."

"You mean _here_? In my room?"

"Absolutely. I want to be the first to hear your amazing talent."

"Dad, get real. I'm terrible."

"But you won't be after a few lessons. I'll call around and see what I can set up for you."

David looked so surprised that Niles thought that his son might faint. "Oh geez, Dad, really?"

This time there was no hesitation. "Yes."

They hugged once more and Niles ran downstairs to his office where he quickly picked up the scattered piece of paper, stacking them neatly in a pile. He could sort through them later. He had all night.

But now he had more important business to attend to. Work could wait. His son could not.

 _ **~FIN/TBC~**_


	2. Chapter 2

After a night of tossing and turning she found herself rushing to the door. Funny how she knew that before the doorbell even rang that her boss's handsome younger brother would be on the other side. But then again, she _was_ physic, no matter what anyone else believed. She just wished that her psychic powers could tell her what to do about the ache in her heart. And better yet, why her powers hadn't worked earlier, when she needed them most. Perhaps if they had, she would have been spared this heartache.

But it was too late now. The ache was brought on by the actions of a man; a dull, constant ache that brought memories of that night. The horrible night when he confessed, rather abrupt, that he did not love her.

Now, she did her best to be strong, the way everyone thought her to be. But as her trembling hand turned the doorknob and she pulled open the door, she caught a glimpse of his face. He was almost identical to his older brother in mannerisms, quirks and insufferable snobbishness. But he was much softer in expression. And it was the expression he was wearing now, a warm smile on his face; a smile that showed that he was truly happy to see her, that nearly caused her to break.

His smile instantly faded when he realized that she was hurting. How he knew, she had no idea. Perhaps he too was psychic. Or perhaps it was just his nature to know how people were feeling on the inside. But the mere thought of it is what made her burst into tears.

He asked no questions, made no judgements. He simply held her as she collapsed into his arms, stroking her back until she was all cried out. And then she cried some more.

And still he held her, never once letting go. When she finally pulled out of his arms (not wanting to but knowing that he couldn't stay like this forever… although she wanted him to, oh how she wanted him to) she looked into his eyes of blue.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

The question was soft, filled with friendship and concern and (dare she think it?) love. Tears spilled onto her cheeks, but his hand was instantly there, holding out his handkerchief. And she took it gratefully.

"Thank you." She managed to say.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

The repeated question, like the first time, was soft, and not judgmental. It was just a question; one that deserved an answer.

She shook her head, embarrassed at how emotional she'd become. "No, I…"

His hand, the one that had been holding the handkerchief, reached for hers and squeezed, filling her with warmth.

Or was it love?

His words made her cry once more. She wanted so much to talk to him, to tell him what she was feeling. But she couldn't do it here; not in the very room where the man, the one she thought she loved, had broken her heart. It was too painful, and even Frasier and Martin had no knowledge of it. She was glad for that, for they would never understand, not the way Niles understood. Somehow he always understood.

He squeezed her hand once more. "Daphne?"

"I-I can't!" She said, her voice quivering. She looked around worriedly as though Frasier and Martin would magically appear in the room, demanding an explanation. She expected Niles to become annoyed; angry, even. But he was neither of those things. Instead he squeezed her hand yet again.

"I understand."

His voice was soft and gentle, and then he continued. "But I mean it, Daphne. I'm here for you always. I want to help you. Please."

Her worried brown eyes went to his. "I-I…"

"I would never make you do anything that would make you uncomfortable, Daphne. I hope you know that."

"I-I do." She stammered. "And I appreciate it so much, Dr. Crane. I really do, but…" She looked around the room once more. She wanted to talk to him so badly, to get the feelings of hurt out in the open. She was lost; so lost and she didn't know what to do.

He sighed. "All right. This is highly unethical and I don't make a habit of it, but I want you to feel comfortable."

Her eyebrows rose. "I-I don't understand."

"I came to see Frasier, but I can see that he's not here."

She swallowed hard, feeling strangely nervous. "Um, no he's not. I-I'm sorry I didn't tell you before. Of course you came to see him. I-I don't know what's wrong with me today. It's only natural that you'd come over to see your brother. I don't know why I thought..."

"Daphne…"

"I'll tell him that you stopped by."

He smiled. "Thank you Daphne."

They stared at one another, neither of them saying a word. And yet there was so much she wanted to say to him.

"I should go."

Her heart sank, but she nodded. And the pain in her heart, the pain that amazingly had been forgotten, had returned. However now it was not the pain from the man who had broken her heart but the pain of knowing that the man in front of her, the man who in the course of only a few moments had shown her more love than she deserved (if only in friendship), was leaving.

"Thank you Dr. Crane." She said once more. She opened the door wider to allow him to leave and bade him farewell.

But he surprised her by turning in the doorway. "Daphne?"

"Yes?" Her heart was racing, although she wasn't quite sure why.

He seemed hesitant to continue as she stared into his eyes. "Yes, Dr. Crane?" she repeated.

"I'm going to head to my office for a while."

"O-of course. I don't want to keep you from your patients."

"Why don't you come by about three? I'll let Mrs. Woodson know to expect you."

She was so surprised that she was yet again at a momentary loss for words. "Come by?"

"O-only if you want to come, that is. If you need someone to talk to, it might be more comfortable in my office."

New tears sprang to her eyes, and she could hardly believe what she was hearing. "Dr. Crane…"

"I-I know it's something out of the ordinary. I don't normally give advice to people that are f-family, but…"

"Did you just say that I'm part of your family?"

"Um, yes… of course you are…"

The tears were streaming down her cheeks. No one had ever called her _family_ before, even her own family. This man, this wonderful man cared about her enough to include her in his family. She threw her arms around him and kissed his cheek not once but twice. And when his hand moved up and down her back, she held him a little tighter.

"You're the best friend I've ever had, Dr. Crane. And I'm so happy to be a part of your family."

The faintness of his heartbeat could be felt against her own as he held her even closer.

"I feel the same way about you, Daphne."

No words could have ever been more wonderful.


	3. Chapter 3

He was incredibly nervous as he sat in the small room facing his cardiologist. For the past several hours he'd been given test after test and he was certain that the results would be negative. Things like this usually were. He was glad that he'd gone to the doctor, however, if only for his own peace of mind. He was always overreacting; especially when it came to his health.

The door opened, causing Niles to rise to his feet in one fluid, albeit wobbly motion. And he immediately took note of the doctor's rather grim expression.

 _Damn._

Their eyes met and then the doctor glanced at his clipboard before returning his gaze to Niles.

"Well?" Niles prompted.

"I have to be honest with you Dr. Crane. These tests don't look good. You have blockage in your arteries."

Niles swallowed hard. "A-all right. What would you recommend? Just send the prescriptions over to the pharmacy and I'll pick them up on my way home."

"I'm afraid it's more serious than that, Dr. Crane."

A wave of dizziness came over him then, and he grabbed a nearby chair, lowering himself into it. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that you need to check yourself into the hospital immediately. You need heart surgery."

The words crushed him and he wanted to curl up and die. This couldn't be happening. But in fact it was.

After receiving instructions from the doctor, Niles walked into the hallway and slumped into a chair in the thankfully empty waiting room. He cried alone, silently for only a few moments before collecting himself. Suddenly an image of an angel came to mind. An angel; his angel. Daphne. His wife, the woman he loved more than any other.

He had no idea how he would tell her, for she too would be crushed. But then he smiled. If they could get through this, they could get through anything.

For they had each other.


	4. Chapter 4

Niles did his best not to stare at the rather plain-looking woman who sat across from him in his office. For weeks, he had worked with her in an effort to help her see that she was not truly in love with him (a condition referred to in the world of psychiatry as "transference") but rather the idea of being in love with him. However, both ideas were equally disturbing in their own right. He was, after all, a married man, and he had no attraction (physical or otherwise) to his patient whatsoever. Still, he sympathized with her. It was true that he'd been married to Maris for quite some time, but the feelings of loneliness still surfaced from time to time.

Mrs. Minkler's husband had died years ago, and it was clear that she was suffering from severer loneliness. He could certainly relate to that. For months he'd tried everything possible to help her work through her problem by talking, role playing, and engaging in exercises designed to touch on the subject. But nothing had come of it and he finally realized that he had no choice other than to prescribe medication. It was purely a last resort, but it was the only way.

He took out his prescription pad and began to write. As he expected, her reaction was one of horror, and he saw her eyes widened.

"Dr. Crane, what are you doing?"

"I'm writing you a prescription." He announced matter of factly.

"I don't need drugs, I need you!" She screamed, startling him yet again with the familiar outburst. Horrified in his own right, his eyes moved to the door, making sure that it was securely closed. He didn't want anyone to hear their conversation. It was much too risky and frankly he'd had quite enough. It was time to be firm with her.

"No, Mrs. Minkler. You don't. Trust me." He ripped the prescription from the pad and handed it to her. "Now, I want you to get this filled immediately and start taking them right away. "

She looked skeptical but at least she smiled, rising from her chair. "I will. I'll do anything for you, Dr. Crane. Anything at all. Day or night, you just-."

Nervously he adjusted his tie and swallowed hard. "That's fine, Mrs. Minkler. But be sure you take only the recommended dosage."

As she put on her coat, he stopped her. "Now I mean that, Mrs. Minkler. I should warn you that these drugs are very powerful. They can have some weird side effects if not taken exactly as prescribed."

Her eyebrows rose and her skeptical gaze returned. "What kind of side effects?"

He froze, suddenly at a loss. Damn, he never should have said anything at all. "Um, actually to be honest, I'm not quite sure."

"What do you mean you're not quite sure?" She screamed, her voice booming in the small office. The sound made him flinch. "You're a doctor! You're supposed to know these things!"

"Um, well… I-I know, Mrs. Minkler." He stammered. "But this is a relatively new drug and not much is knows about-."

"You're giving me experimental drugs? How dare you!"

"You want to get well, don't you?" He shot back, satisfied when she recoiled and nodded. But he was still angry. "Then take the damn prescription to the pharmacy and get it filled, all right?"

"A-All right. Thank you Dr. Crane." She said, sounding strangely afraid. Dear God, he hadn't meant to frighten her but as they said "tough love" was the only way.

"I'll see you soon. Call me if there are any problems, okay?"

Instantly her face brightened. "Really? I can do that?"

"Of course."

"Th-thank you, Dr. Crane."

And then she was gone.

* * *

(A Week Later)

As usual, he let himself into Frasier's condo, disappointed when he saw no signs of Daphne. He wondered where she'd gone and it was no secret (to his heart anyway) that, for a split second, he wondered if she'd gone on a date. Of course she was. Who wouldn't want to go out with the goddess named Daphne Moon? The man was probably as handsome if not more so than the men whose images were all over the ridiculous romance novels that Daphne was always reading. The thought depressed him even further, but he pushed the thought from his mind when he saw his father sitting in his favorite chair, his eyes glued to the television. Normally Martin Crane was so engrossed in whatever he was watching that Niles had to go to drastic measures to get his attention.  
Not today.

"Hey, Niles."

"Dad… what are you doing?"

"Just watching the game. Want a beer?"

"No thanks, I…" But his father was already at the refrigerator opening the vegetable crisper where Daphne kept a hidden stash of beers. It wasn't right for his dad to keep such a secret from her, but Niles knew better than to betray his father. "Well, all right. A beer sounds good. It's been a long week."

"Tell me about it."

Intrigued, he took the beer from his father and sat down on the edge of the sofa. "What's going on?"

"Oh, it's that dammed woman on the twelfth floor."

"Woman?"

"Yeah, Janice something or other. It was the damndest thing. She came over the other day to borrow some salt. I told her what do I look like, a housekeeper?"

"Dad-."

"Well, Niles she interrupted my program!"

"So did you give her the salt?"

"No, I told her to get lost! And do you know what happened?"

"I can only imagine." Niles chuckled.

"She pulled me toward her and kissed me, square on the mouth!"

Niles couldn't believe what he was hearing. "She what?"

"Yeah! Just like I was her boyfriend or something! And guess what?"

"You mean there's more?"

"I'll say. She wouldn't leave till I agreed to take her on a date! So tonight we're going to that fancy place that you and Frasier are always talking about."

"Le Cigar Volante?"

"That's it. If only I could remember her last name. But I guess I'd better get ready. Have to pick her up in a half hour. But she only lives seven floors below us. Can you believe that? I get kissed by a woman in 1201? Well, what the hell. I mean who knows. Something might come of this and it might not but I just want to get it over with. Fras has agreed to help me with the bill for dinner because I know it's going to be expensive. Dates usually are. Although I wouldn't know. Last date I went on was with your mother and back then-."

"Dad, about this woman, Janice…"

"Oh yeah. Well, there was something weird about the whole thing. She looked strange, like she was on some sort of medication or something."

"Medication?"

"Yeah, I couldn't figure it out but I guess it doesn't matter."

"No, I guess you're right. Well, I should go too. Maris is waiting for me. Let me know how the date went, all right? For what it's worth I'm happy for you." He touched his father's shoulder and turned to leave. Just as he got to the door he heard his name.

"Thanks, Niles. I'll tell Janice you said that. What in the heck is her last name again? Oh yeah… Minkler. I knew it started with an M."

Niles froze. "M-Minkler? Did you say M-Minkler? As in-."

"Janice Minkler, yeah."

Suddenly Niles felt hot and cold all over. No, this couldn't be happening. His father couldn't be dating his patient… the very one that he'd prescribed drugs to in order to steer her infatuation with Niles away. It was highly unethical and not to mention wrong. And it was clear that the drugs indeed had weird side effects. But never in a million years did he imagine this.

He began to re-enter the condo to protest the situation when he saw his father rise from his chair and begin humming to himself. It was a familiar song, one that he and Niles mother used to sing, an old love song. Niles hadn't heard it in decades.

"I wonder if she likes blue ties." His dad mumbled as he headed for his bedroom. "Women love blue. It works for Frasier and Niles, why not Janice?"

Niles smiled. It had been a very long time since he'd seen his dad so happy. And suddenly his ethics didn't seem so important anymore.

 **THE END**

 **(A/N: Thanks for reading. All comments and reviews are appreciated!)**


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